Are nuts good for weight loss?

Tariq_1997

My question is simple,
Are walnuts and cashews good for the body if i'm on a strict diet and losing weight?
I had like 30 grams of walnuts and like 40 grams of salted cashews so it's more than 30 grams of fat

JaydedMiss

Good for you isnt always the same thing as good for your diet. I eat nuts in VERY small amounts (6-10g) because some extra fat but oh my god the calories. Not a spot in my daily diet for even 10g of nuts lol. Granted mainly because iv decided 10g of pathetic looking nuts is un worth it to me just for fat lol. If you like them eat up, Just remember their pretty crazy calorie dense

Lillymoo01

I'd say yes because I managed to lose weight while eating cashews, almonds and walnuts on a regular basis. However, as they are calorie dense I made sure I limited them to a small handful and weighed every single one eaten. They are too easy to overeat though.

TavistockToad

40g of cashews is 240ish cals... fine if that fits your calories and macros, but make sure you weigh them!

kommodevaran

No, the question is meaningless and the answer is complex.
Nuts are nutritious. Nuts are also calorie dense. To lose weight, you need to eat at a calorie defcit. For good health, you need to get in a range of nutrients every day, and not too many calories over time. Fat doesn't make you fat. Too many calories makes you fat. Aiming for a varied diet may be a good strategy to become more relaxed around food. Being relaxed around food while at the same time paying some attention to nutrition, will make weight loss and maintenance a breeze.

KANGOOJUMPS

sure!, if its just a handful

livingleanlivingclean

You need dietary fat. Unsaturated fat is recommended over saturated. Nuts are a good source of unsaturated fats.

theabsentmindednurse

Walnuts are an excellent Source of fibre, protein and Omega 3.
And yes, hugely Caloric Dense.
So eat only 30gm portion at the maximum as a snack.
As part of a healthy nutritious diet, nuts can be enjoyed, like any other food.

Machka9

See what 100 calories of nuts looks like:
http://www.thekitchn.com/a-visual-guide-to-100-calories-of-nuts-snack-tips-from-the-kitchn-201778


I used to eat a good handful of cashews every day ... when I was gaining weight toward my peak weight. When I started MFP, one of the things I dropped from my diet was the nuts ... especially after discovering I was eating 400-500 calories of nuts each day!!!

As it happens, I was also suspecting a bit of an allergy or intolerance reaction to nuts anyway, and felt much better after I dropped them.

So ... yes, you can eat nuts ... and yes, they are high in calories. If your plan is to lose weight, adjust accordingly.

Muscleflex79

KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »

sure!, if its just a handful

do you have any idea how many calories could be in a "handful" of nuts??

Machka9

Muscleflex79 wrote: »

KANGOOJUMPS wrote: »

sure!, if its just a handful

do you have any idea how many calories could be in a "handful" of nuts??

See post above yours for the answer.

MegaMooseEsq

Nuts and dried fruits are go-tos if I’m looking 100-150 low on my calories, but they are definite very carefully measured. A single portion of cashews or dried apricots looks tiny, but I find to be massively filling once I get my brain out of volume-eating mode.

amusedmonkey

30 grams of walnuts is pathetic looking and 200 calories gone in a few bites. 40 grams of cashews is 200+ calories. If you have room in your diet for 400-500 calories of nothing but nuts it's up to you, but personally that amount leaves me wanting, and at the end of the day I don't feel like I had enough nuts to be happy yet I'm 500 calories short.

Are they good for weight loss? Depends, do they help you not eat too much? Then yes. Do they make dieting harder? Then no.

saintor1

Only if you weight them and make sure that they are really 30 or 40g - meaning pre-defined portion or use of a scale.

Eating them in quantities is not a free pass to weight loss...

Lillymoo01

amusedmonkey wrote: »

30 grams of walnuts is pathetic looking and 200 calories gone in a few bites. 40 grams of cashews is 200+ calories. If you have room in your diet for 400-500 calories of nothing but nuts it's up to you, but personally that amount leaves me wanting, and at the end of the day I don't feel like I had enough nuts to be happy yet I'm 500 calories short.

Are they good for weight loss? Depends, do they help you not eat too much? Then yes. Do they make dieting harder? Then no.

But 10 grams of walnuts added to your breakfast or 10 grams of cashews added to a piece of fruit with greek yogurt adds a nice bit of texture and makes the meal more filling.

pinuplove

Yes. And also no. For all the reasons listed above. Any food in moderation that fits your goals is good for weight loss.

amusedmonkey

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

30 grams of walnuts is pathetic looking and 200 calories gone in a few bites. 40 grams of cashews is 200+ calories. If you have room in your diet for 400-500 calories of nothing but nuts it's up to you, but personally that amount leaves me wanting, and at the end of the day I don't feel like I had enough nuts to be happy yet I'm 500 calories short.

Are they good for weight loss? Depends, do they help you not eat too much? Then yes. Do they make dieting harder? Then no.

But 10 grams of walnuts added to your breakfast or 10 grams of cashews added to a piece of fruit with greek yogurt adds a nice bit of texture and makes the meal more filling.

Learned my lesson after too many walnut and pistachio stuffed dates

I sometimes (rarely) add something to my oatmeal but I've learned from experience that the difference it makes in taste and texture is rarely worth the extra calories, and fat doesn't satiate me. I would rather spend that on popcorn. I make an exception from time to time for certain dishes where it does make a difference to the taste, but in general I pretty much go without. I haven't eliminated them, I just find myself making other choices more often than not.

You're talking to someone who used to eat at least 1500 calories of nuts a day, so going from that to "a handful" or "10 grams" is like asking someone to be happy with half a chip.

DX2JX2

Raw nuts are generally a decent snack choice but they are calorie dense.

Raw nuts often suffer from the 'olive oil' effect in people's minds. Many people think of them as 'vitamins' that should be eaten regardless of the calorie load because of their health benefits. This simply isn't true. Don't eat them if you wouldn't eat anything otherwise but if you want a snack you could do worse than to eat nuts.

Also, try to eat raw nuts instead of roasted if you can. Depending on how they're processed, roasted nuts will sometimes lose some of the health benefits of raw.

hale03071

I've lot 60 lbs in the last year with a lower carb diet, which consisted of 1-2 serving of nuts per day. You just have to work the calories into your food plan. Unless you have medical issue that requires you to restrict fat intake, I wouldn't worry about the fat in nuts at all.

shrcpr

Raw, unsalted almonds are one of my favorite snacks to carry in my car and purse in case I get stuck somewhere without food. 1 ounce at 160 calories is filling (for me) enough to get me through a couple hours until I can eat. I'm careful to pre-portion, though!

estherdragonbat

I use them more to garnish than eat plain.

iamthemotherofdogs

Giggle.

PaulaWallaDingDong

iamthemotherofdogs wrote: »

Giggle.

klowieislyfe1

Depends on how much weight you're trying to lose. I have to be careful with nuts because I find them kind of addictive and I'm only trying to lose about 15-20 lbs, but if you're heavier and trying to lose a lot then they probably won't sabotage your diet.

hughjazz74

i love cashews but the problem is stopping...

cwolfman13

Tariq_1997 wrote: »

My question is simple,
Are walnuts and cashews good for the body if i'm on a strict diet and losing weight?
I had like 30 grams of walnuts and like 40 grams of salted cashews so it's more than 30 grams of fat

Nuts are irrelevant to weight loss. Nuts are pretty nutritious foods...they are also calorie dense so eating a lot of nuts could potentially eat away at your calorie allotments pretty easily. Dietary fat doesn't make you fat...excess calories make you fat.

BarneyRubbleMD

I eat two 0.5 oz servings of different nuts per day as an easy, nutritious & tasty way to increase my daily calories to slow my weight loss without affecting my blood sugar #'s.

AnvilHead

Tariq_1997 wrote: »

My question is simple,
Are walnuts and cashews good for the body if i'm on a strict diet and losing weight?
I had like 30 grams of walnuts and like 40 grams of salted cashews so it's more than 30 grams of fat

The answer is equally simple: If you can fit them into your calorie goals while getting sufficient nutrients from your overall diet, they're fine. Just like any other food.

amusedmonkey

I almost missed that part of the original post. What do you mean a strict diet? Are you restricted to certain types of food by choice or medical necessity? Or do you mean you are doing a low calorie diet by choice or medical necessity? If you're doing a low calorie diet for medical reasons, it would be very hard to get adequate nutrition eating 500 calories of nuts every day. If restricting types of food and you have enough calories to play with, it would be okay if it's not breaking your diet. If you're severely restricting either calories or types of food by choice, it's freeing to know that it's not necessary for weight loss and you have options. As for fat, don't worry about it if you're happy with the way you're eating and getting adequate nutrition otherwise.

maryannprt

Nuts are nutrient dense, and for me personally, a few nuts added to a salad, fruit and yogurt, a bowl of cereal, etc. really increases both my enjoyment of my meal or snack, and the satiety of that meal or snack. So for me, the calories from the nuts are well worth it. I didn't regularly eat nuts until I started tracking my intake and realized I was really lacking in mono and polyunsaturated fats, I eat an ounce or so of nuts every day, and I've lost 25 lbs in about 7 months. (pecans and pistachios are my personal favorites, I sometimes buy brazil nuts, cashews, or walnuts) It's completely up to you if they are worth it. Make sure you measure how many you're having,(a scale is best if you have one) because it's really easy to overdue it. I'm looking forward to my next round of lab work. My cholesterol is good anyway, but I'm interested to see if it's had an impact with that.

sgt1372

"Are nuts good for weight loss?"

Not if you eat too many.